Trap for pocket-gophers.



No. 703,556. Patented July l, |902.

l J. J. DANIELS. "TRAP Fon PocKET GoPHEBs.

(Applicationled Sept. 21, 1901.)

UNITED v STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN J. DANIELS, OF NEW LONDON, MINNESOTA.

TRAP FOR PQCKET-GOPHERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,556, dated July 1, 1902. Application tiled September 21,1901. Serial No. 76,029. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concer-71,.'

Be it known that I, JOHN J. DANIELS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New London, in the county of-Kandiyohi and State of Minnesota, have inventedpcertain newand useful Improvements'in Traps for Pocket- Gophers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.4 f

My invention has for its objectto provide a simple and efficient trap especially adapted for use in catching pocket-gophers; and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations ofdevices hereinafterdescribed, and defined in the claims. As is a wellknown fact these pocket-gophers burrow under the ground and at intervals come to the surface and deposit quite large hills of dirt. In meadows this is very annoying, as the hills ofdirt interfere with mowing. In cultivated ground these gophers loosen the dirt and tear up roots and, furthermore, are very destructive to crops in that they eat the roots of growing vegetation.

In accordance with my invention I provide a spring-trap which is adapted to be set and partially embedded in the earth, with'its toothed jaws embracing the surface branch of the gopher-hole and with its trigger so lo'- cated that the trap will be sprung whenever the gopher comes into contact therewith or presses dirt against the same. v

The invention is illustrated'in the acceuipanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughoutboth views.

Figure l shows the trap in side elevation and a portion of the ground and gopher-hole in section. Fig. 2 shows the trap in perspective and the ground and gopher-hole-in transverse section.

The numeral lindicates a strong approximately U -shaped spring, the tension of which tends to throw its free ends together kwith a very considerable force. Y said spring member lis provided with trans- Versely-extended and opposing heads 2, which have a plurality of sharp teeth 3. -For a considerable length inward of its free ends the said spring member l is formed with rigid arm-sections l, and at its extreme end it is branch.

At its free ends theAv of my invention.

' shown as provided with integrally-formed and inturned. barbs l". The prongs of the spring member l are adapted to be held separated by a toggle-link 4, the ends ot'v which are pivoted to the rigid arm-sections l. One member of the toggle-link 4 is provided with au extended trip-arm 4a, the free end of which,` as shown, `terminates near one of one pivotedend of the toggle. For cooperation with the arm 4fL I provide a trigger which is pivoted, as shown', to one of ,thev end pivots of the toggle 4. tent 5 and a rod 6, the former of` which when engaged with the free end of the arm 4a holds the toggle 4 close, but not quite to its deadcenter, against the tension of the spring l. At its free end the trip-rod 6 is provided with a head 7, against which the dirt is adapted to be packed to trip the trap.

'z indicates the main line of the gopherhole, and z indicates one of the surface branches which usually runs to the surface from the main line approximately as indicated in Fig. 1. vThe hill formed at the upper extremity of the branch e" will usually take substantially the form indicated by the dotted lines z2 in Fig. l.

The trap is applied by opening the hole substantially as indicated at es, so that the spread or separated jaws 2 are caused to embrace thebranch e" substantially as indicated in thedrawings.l

^ It isa known fact that Whenever one of the branches ,e is opened up the gopher will return and close .the .same by pushing dirt ahead of him into the upper end of the said In-doing this dirt is pressed against the head 7 of the trigger-rod 6 and the trap is-sprung, so that the gopher will be caught between the toothed jaws of the trap.

In some cases the gopher will simply run his nose against the trigger as he `emerges from the hole, in which case thetrapywill of course be sprung and will catch'the gopher, as above described.

The trap above described'by actual use has proven to be extremely efficient for thepurposes had in view. Furthermore, it. is of small cost and has no parts which are liable to get out of order. It is of course capable of considerable modification within the scope Hence it is of course 0b- This trigger involves a de IOO vious that the jaws at the `free ends of the spring-pressed arm may have any desired number of barbs or points. It is also evident that the arms l might be constructed sepa rately and can be secured detachably or otherwise to the spring l. The construction shown, however, has advantages over such modiiealion.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States, is as follows:

l. A trap comprising the spring l with arms 1a and jaws 2 secured to the free ends of said arms l, the toggle 4 for holding said jaws separated, one of said toggle members having the extended arm 4, and a device applicable to the arm 4 for holding the trap set and releasing the same.

2. Atrap comprising the spring 1 with arms JOHN J. DANIELS.

Vitnesses:

ELIZABETH KELIHER, F. D. MERCHAM.4 

